The Effect of Verbal/Linguistic Intelligence-Oriented Instruction on Leaners’ Reading Comprehension and Motivation: Jimma College of Teacher Education First Year Efll in Focus

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of verbal/linguistic intelligence-oriented instruction on first-year English as a Foreign Language Learners’ (EFL learners’) reading comprehension and motivation. The research setting was Jimma College of Teacher Education, which was purposefully selected. The target population of the study consisted of 64 learners, and all participants were included in the study through a census sampling technique. The entire population was normally molded into two sections, with 32 learners grouped as Section One and the remaining 32 learners grouped as Section Two. The researcher designated Section One as the experimental group and Section Two as the control group, using the lottery method to give both groups an equal chance. Furthermore, this study employed a quasi-experimental design through a concurrent mixed-methods approach. Data were gathered both quantitatively and qualitatively. The quantitative data were obtained from learners’ reading comprehension pre tests, post-tests, and questionnaires measuring motivation, while the qualitative data were collected through semi-structured interviews with learners from the experimental group regarding the effects of verbal/linguistic intelligence-oriented instruction. The results of the study indicated significant effects of verbal/linguistic intelligence-oriented instruction on learners’ reading comprehension, as evidenced by the mean values of the control and experimental groups after the intervention. The p-value (0.000) was less than the typical significance level of 0.05, indicating statistical significance. Similarly, there was a significant effect of verbal/linguistic intelligence-oriented instruction on learners’ motivation, with the p value for the experimental group also being 0.000, which indicated that the mean score was statistically significant (p < 0.05). Additionally, there was a significant relationship between verbal/linguistic intelligence-oriented instruction and both reading comprehension and motivation to read, as shown by the mean values of the experimental group after the intervention. Basically, verbal/linguistic intelligence-oriented instruction has a positive relationship with learners' reading comprehension skills and motivation.